Claw Daddy's NYC: My First Feast

Continuing with this restaurant series - I recently had one of the most unique brunch experiences yet. Have you heard of Claw Daddy's? I hadn't until my friend invited me to partake in one of their most popular specials - the Claw Feast. He had originally invited me last summer - but I didn't have the opportunity to make it then. Fortunately, I was able to join this time around - and the experience most certainly didn't disappoint. More on that in a bit. 

Claw Daddy's NYC is located in Manhattan - which was a nice change of pace for me, as I've been going to predominantly Brooklyn restaurants lately. My friend had to make a reservation, especially for the Claw Feast, because this restaurant tends to fill up quickly and it's not always easy to get a table with 3-5 people. It was pretty empty when we first arrived around Noon on that Sunday, and I imagine winter had something to do with that. But as we spent more time there, the space began filling up and they were pretty much packed by the time we left. We were there for a few hours - let me go ahead and get into that, and the drinks, now. 

Brunching At The Bar 

So my friend made a reservation for 5 people. He and I were the first to arrive and on schedule, but one of his friends arrived no more than 10 minutes later. So we all made ourselves comfortable at the bar. While we waited for the others to arrive, I took advantage of the opportunity snap a few pics (including having my friend take one of me of course). Happy hour had just started, so the perfect opportunity to grab a drink while we continued to wait. In quickly looking over the drink menu, I immediately noticed the "Adult Caprisun" - also kind of hard to miss since it's the first section listed on the menu. This drink concept is so cute and fun, and I was so into the flavors that they had. 

I decided to start with a "Your Truly", which had soju (the alcohol in all of them), rose petals, raspberry, and . . . something else; can't remember. It was love at first sip - seriously, these drinks are everything. The soju is so light and smooth that you can't even tase it in the drink. It is literally like you are drinking a delicious caprisun during lunch time in fifth grade. Of course, I finished it in four to five gulps - and was feeling absolutely lovely afterward. By that time, we had been sitting at the bar for over 30 minutes waiting for the rest of the party to arrive. So we proceeded to a table, where I decided to order another caprisun - the Sleeping Bee. 

Preparing For The Feast 

Shortly after being seated, our fourth group member arrived. Still waiting for the final person to arrive, we sat patiently with some good drinks and pleasant conversation. I was also looking around and absorbing the atmosphere. I am really into the layout and decor for the restaurant. They have typical elements like fishing nets to clearly align with their seafood selling point, and the large open windows help fill the space with lovely lighting during the day. Also makes the restaurant feel open and accommodating.  There was newspaper spread across the tables, which I didn't initially understand. But in looking at a group next to us, I finally got the concept. So the Claw Feast is a Louisiana style claw fish broil - they bring the food out in buckets and just dump it across the table. Seeing all of this food around us and in agonizing over our hunger, we decided to place our order while we waited for the final guest to arrive. 

Seafood Free-For-All

He made it just in time - it was only 10 minutes after he sat down that the food was brought out. As I mentioned, they literally dumped the food right out in front of us on the table. Watching as the mix of shrimp, snow crab legs, clams and crawfish (and potatoes, sausage and corn for extra filler) permeated our table and I was captivated. With that, each person is equipped with a bib and some gloves, and then it's a free for all. You just start digging into the pile of food - simple as that. The food is prepared sooo well - like everything is crazy tender and has perfect flavor. When we were ordering, we were debating on which spice level to get. Some of the guys wanted to get Insane, but the waitress said that Hot (the next step down from Insane) was pretty intense for most people. We ended up getting Hot, but it honestly wasn't that bad - we could have gotten Insane. If you're someone who loves spicy food, be brave and get Insane. 

By this time, I had ordered another caprisun - Just a Dream, which is one of the most popular flavors. Didn't grab a picture because I was obviously predisposed, but in looking at the ingredients on the website, it consists of soju, mint, fresh pineapple juice, lime, and coconut puree. I'm telling you, these caprisuns are incredible - AND, they don't even get you too buzzed. Ugh, I could go on about the drinks, but back to the food. You don't even really need the utensils to break open the shells - everything is so tender that all you need to do is crack open the shells a bit and the meat pretty much comes right out. After we were done, we looked at the time, and I believe that we were deep in feast mode for at least 30 minutes. Crazy right? We finished our time there with a complementary round of soju shots from the waitress - I honestly don't think it gets much better than that. 

Conclusion

Claw Daddy's NYC is the shit. Plain and simple. Between the irresistible drinks, authentically prepared seafood and good vibes with a group of friends - I just don't see how anyone could have a bad time here. I would recommend that if you are going with a group, encourage people to make it on time. I only say that because people usually go to brunch hungry - so you really don't want to have to wait any longer than necessary to dive into a Claw Feast. So to my fellow seafood lovers - you absolutely must have brunch here soon and try as many of the Adult Caprisuns as you possibly can (responsibly of course). Let me know which one is your favorite.

Cheers!